He wrestle is not the problem!!

[LRC69]

I've said it for ages.. The problem is not the wrestle or slow pllay the balls, I love it because it stops dummy half running. The problem is the coaching!!
The best footy is played off the back of off loads... Today's game was a classic because of the 2nd phase play.
Slow play the balls force creativity.. It brings the big guys back into the game with their off loading.. It brings the short passing game into it to win the dominant ruck.
You will need big guys to create the off load, which will then allow the smaller guys to exploit them ... Surely there are more possible positives to slow play the balls then negatives.
It will also ferris of those discressionary penalties ..


Discuss!!

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Correct. The Roosters were the better side today because they were willing to offload the ball. When they had to the Dragons did the same and it produced good football. Watch the game back again and have a look a the impetus each side got from keeping the ball alive. I was screaming at the telly "see, that's what happens when you pass the ball!!!" like a crazy bastard. But it's true. Coaches are lazy and it's easier for them to tell their sides to hold the ball and play it safe and grind the other side down. But it has become so much of a grind that it's boring, and also I don't think teams know how to break that mentality when needed. Teh Dragons managed it today and we need to see more of it. I also think this is how NSW should play. They aren't going to beat Qld unless they do something very different and unexpected. NSW looked most threatening in recent years when they threw the ball wide with confidence. They need to do that again, but add even more offloads and second phase play. For a long time coaches have revolutionised the game in negative ways. It's time for a coach or two to have the guts to revolutionise it in a positive way.

 

[God-King Dean]

Agree 100%

It's the same with scrums - there's nothing wrong with them. It's the coaches who prefer to play to the percentages rather than use it as an attacking opportunity.

 

[wibble]

The Sharks are doing very well in offloads this year (though they've been good at that for a few years). The slower plays mean our forwards and offloads can out metre the opponents, and we get rewarded for good defense and offloads. Previous years the play has been all about quick plays and scoring off penalty sets, and that favours the backs.

I'm happy with the footy at the moment, but with the supposed looming "crackdown" I'm prepared for the inevitable crash when good goal line defense and offloads won't mean as much as dummy half scoots and centres barging over after quick play the balls.

 

[Chook Norris]

Tell that to Wayne Bennett

 

[attila_the_gorilla]

I agree with this, unfortunately play-the-ball speed is needed for most teams to succeed. Wrestling can make games boring not by definition, but because a lot of teams are hopeless against a set defensive line, thus making some games very one-out and predictable.